the sky behind the window
by Wolfnir
Summary: Tenryuubito's visit to the Kingdom of Goa caused more tragedy than just the Gray Terminal fire, now the ASL brothers find themselves as slaves and their only salvation becomes a pack of pirates led by the world's strongest man.
1. Chapter 1

**Hello, this is one of the many other fanfics in which the ASL brothers are created by the Whitebeard Pirates :)**

 **However my story has a much heavier content, it will have graphical scenes of violence, sexual and psychological abuse, and human rot in the form of nobles. Of course, I'll try to keep the boys' personalities mostly intact, Luffy will still be Luffy, Ace will still have his self esteem problems (to a much higher degree) and Sabo will be the one with the greatest patience among them, but the bond between boys will surely be stronger, the super protection of Ace and Sabo as Luffy will be even sharper.**

 **The boys will have a more.. dark personality, the change of Luffy being the clearest, but that _does_ _not_ mean that the Luffy who wants to be King of the Pirates when he begins his journey will be totally different from the canonical universe. The boys are sure to be stronger, with control over Haki and a better idea of Luffy's "Power to Listen," even though it's still a "mysterious power" (hahahah).**

 **All will have serious changes during the Arc that shows the children of the three so if my "timeline" is a bit confusing excuse me, it's been a long time since I watched One Piece and now I only follow the weekly episodes like almost everyone.**

* * *

Ace felt his head throb, his whole body seemed to ache, but his head seemed to want to explode and this seemed to keep him from opening his eyes and seeing what was happening around him. Ace could only feel a light body at his side, hugging his arm in a way of perhaps comfort. It didn't take much to recognize that that body heat came from his younger brother, Luffy.

"You're finally awake." Ace heard Sabo's voice by his side and after a few attempts the boy finally managed to open his eyes, the first sight he had was of a concrete ceiling dimly lit from the room. He turned his gaze to where he had heard the voice of his other brother.

"Sabo... What happened?" Ace tried to sit down, but he gave up when he remembered that Luffy was still clinging to him. Sabo looked at him and smiled with amusement at the scene, making the black wires look with a frown, when he saw the boy's moody mood, he seemed to decide that it was best to tell him what was happening.

"I don't know what happened to you, but I tried to escape when I heard about the fire to warn you, but there were guards in the Edge Town who prevented me, I was injured and I don't remember what happened, but when I woke up I was hiding in an alley..." Ace watched as his brother's expression turned dark with the course of his story, even though there was also confusion in his eyes, showing that the blonde was trying to remember something.

"What happened next?" In an attempt to keep Sabo focused and distracting him from whatever thought the blond was having, Ace asked him to continue telling him what he knew.

"Well, there was no way I could get past the guards and I didn't want to go home so I hide. Some men who worked for my father came after me, but I managed to hide somewhere in the Edge Town for a few days, until..." Sabo's pause was even longer, but this time it seemed that the boy was debating internally whether he should even tell what had happened or not to his brother.

"Until what did Sabo do?" Ace narrowed his eyes dangerously, not accepting that his brother was once _again_ trying to hide something from him. Sabo seemed to understand that lying or hiding something from Ace at that moment didn't seem the right decision.

"Some guards and marines found me. They...They took me to some place in the Edge Town and they locked me in a cage. "Sabo kept his eyes hidden by the hem of her top hat, but then he raised his head, looking directly at his brother. "Ace, we're trapped and there are marines everywhere, helping to trap people from the Gray Terminal."

Ace this time got up, forgetting Luffy clinging to him and focusing only on the image of his other brother, leaning against what looked like iron bars and bandages. They were trapped. Ace, Sabo and, _oh god_ , Luffy were trapped and other people were being arrested as well. His shock was evident and his confusion at the situation was more than expected. There was no reason why the people at the Gray Terminal were being arrested, not after all the _damn_ hell they'd been through when Bluejam, with the help of Ace and Luffy _(the self-loathing that gripped Ace's body almost made him vomit in the thought that he had helped in that)_ , had burned the dump.

"Why are we stuck?!" At that moment Ace also seemed to remember another, even worse detail. Dandan and the mountain bandits. They had come out of nowhere to help Ace and Luffy. "And where's Dandan?!"

Sabo's eyes widened, realizing that if the people at the Gray Terminal were being captured then surely the rogues of Mount Raven should also be being pursued.

"I don't know! I didn't see them when they brought me here! Do you think they were arrested too? "Sabo asked, feeling more and more distressed, even though Dandan and the mountain bandits weren't as strong as the three brothers, they were still strong and just thinking that they too had been captured decreased still more the hope of Sabo that his brothers and he could flee.

"I don't know, but they were with us in the Gray Terminal." On Sabo's confused face, Ace decided it was best to explain what had happened to him and Luffy after Sabo had been taken. The bitter taste of self-loathing lingered in his mouth, leaving his dry with the prospect of being hated by his brother for helping Bluejam.

"After you left Bluejam persuaded us to do a job for him, I wanted to distract Luffy from his match and earn some money for our pirate fund, when we finished Bluejam laughed out of our face talking about how we had helped him create a fire in the Gray Terminal. He left us there and before I knew everything was on fire..." Ace didn't want to look at the blonde, didn't want to see the expression of disappointment or whatever the negative emotion that Sabo would be feeling towards him at that moment, but still he forced himself to look up.

Ace saw fear and guilt, and a desperation he didn't understand where it came from, clouding Sabo's still childlike features. They expected anything but _that_.

"What happened? Why didn't you flee to the forest? "Concern overloaded Sabo's voice, and shock-eyed eyes helped to express this concern.

"No, the fire spread very fast, but that wasn't the problem." Sabo seemed to want to ask what the problem was, but he held on, waiting for his brother to tell him everything. "Bluejam appeared out of nowhere, it seems that he was betrayed by the nobles, and I, _I, I, I_ _don't know._..He seemed crazy, wondering where our treasure was and speaking that he wanted revenge on the nobles..."

Ace sighed, trying to rearrange his thoughts, now, after all the panic of trying to survive the fire, not even he understood why Bluejam wanted the treasure being that it was clearly impossible to escape the fire when it had spread so fast and was so intense.

"Ace ..." Sabo tried to call him, as much as the blond wanted his brother to take his time, he was still too nervous to know that his brothers were in the middle of that fire while he could do nothing to save them.

"I'm not sure a lot, but even after I said where Bluejam's treasure was yet to come... We were caught, but Luffy managed to get loose, but then..." Ace looked about to vomit at the cry of Luffy's pain and the blood covering his face. "Luffy was hurt, there was _a lot_ of blood and I could not let go...Sabo..." Ace turned his face toward his brother once more and Sabo felt himself holding his breath as he saw the expression on the other's face.

Ace was about to _cry_ , his eyes transmitting pure _helplessness._

"They were going to kill him. Luffy almost died _again_ and I couldn't do _anything_." Sabo approached Ace and gently held his hand. The two were never to use contact to comfort and Ace didn't like to appear weak, much less Sabo, the affection of the two was always intended for Luffy since it was the quickest way to calm the younger when he cried, but at that moment not only Ace, but also Sabo, needed some comfort.

"It's okay, Luffy is safe," Sabo said quietly, and they both turned to where they knew Luffy lay still, clutching Ace's arm weakly, unaware of everything around him. Both Ace and Sabo felt a burden leaving their shoulders to see just how peaceful their younger brother - and weaker - was.

"I'm not sure what happened, but I yelled to stop and suddenly Bluejam and all the others stopped and then Dandan appeared along with the other thieves." Ace sighed, remembering how Dandan's presence made him feel relieved, with Dandan and the thugs there Luffy would not die. "Dogra and Magra took Luffy and I stayed behind with Dandan to fight Bluejam."

It was at this moment that Ace stopped with his tale, the freckle with remembrance vaguely remembered his fight with Bluejam, but then it seemed all a blur. Sabo seemed to realize his uneasiness as he couldn't remember what had happened and put a hand on his shoulder, trying to get his attention.

"It's okay if you don't remember now. What worries me is that I didn't see Dandan when I was captured, much less the other bandits and, from what you said, Luffy was with them. "Sabo frowned, trying to put all the pieces together, he still didn't understand why he had been captured and imprisoned by the Marines, but, he remembered as he looked at the state in which both Ace and Luffy met, he had other things to worry about now. "Ace...are you okay?" Ace focused on Sabo, trying to understand why he was worrying about himself when he was full of bandages.

"I should ask you, you're covered in bandages." Sabo stared at him for a moment, realizing that the other hadn't realized that he and Luffy were more bandaged than he was.

"You too! But the worst among us, of course, is Luffy." Ace stopped to look at himself, noticing the bandages that weren't in his body before, but soon his gaze fell on Luffy, who, as Sabo had said, was worse off state.

"I'm not feeling much pain right now, but my head still hurts a little. I'd like to know who treated me and Luffy..." Sabo agreed with Ace's thinking, thinking that soon it would become yet another unanswered mystery.

A loud noise from an iron door opening caught the attention of the two brothers who approached the bars wanting to see who was coming in and if they could finally leave that place. Ace and Sabo hated to feel trapped.

Soon a male voice was heard, along with steps of two people. One of them seemed to be tied while it was pulled by the other. At the approach of the two people, Sabo and Ace felt their eyes widen at the sight of Dandan completely bruised, with blood dripping from various parts of her face.

"DANDAN!" The scream was automatic. The woman heard them and reacted surprised to the call, stopping to walk and looking at the two in the cell. Ace was surprised to see tears gathering in the woman's eyes.

"Oy, go ahead." Dandan was pulled, stumbling forward and almost falling. A moan of pain seemed to leave the woman's lips and the man who pulled her-one of the guards of the High Town - didn't seem to care when, once again, pulling her toward him, forcing the bandit chief to accompany him.

Ace felt something like anger bubble inside of him as he watched the man treat the already injured woman. He watched through clenched teeth as the man threw her into a cell in front of him as if it were rubbish.

"OY! LEAVE DANDAN PEACE IN, YOUR SHIT!" The shout surprised not only himself as Sabo and Dandan looked at him with open mouths. The guard on the other hand, didn't seem happy with Ace's speech and then approached his cell, opening the door and grabbing the boy with freckles by the arm, dragging him out and throwing him on the floor.

Ace propped himself up with his hands, trying to slow his fall, but his hands scraped on the stone floor and he felt old and new cuts opening, bringing an almost unbearable glow to the place.

"What did you say, kid?! It looks like I'm going to have to teach you another lesson, you bastards. "The guard grabbed Ace again, this time by the hair and dragged him out of that place full of cells.

Ace was struggling, but the tightness in his hair seemed to make his headache even worse, and his body ached from sudden movements. Sabo watched impotently as his brother was dragged away from him as he remained trapped in that damn cell, with his younger brother unconscious and an extremely silent and wounded Dandan.

* * *

Sabo was worried. Ace had been taken nearly two hours ago, Dandan was still silent, looking somewhere in his cell, not even acknowledging Sabo's presence, but his biggest concern at that moment was with Luffy. The younger one was burning with fever and seemed to lose the previous tranquility, moaning in pain during sleep.

He didn't know what to do, and at that moment he had no real solution. They were trapped, Ace had been taken, and Sabo couldn't take care of a sick brother.

"What happened to Luffy? The brat doesn't stop moaning, it's already getting on the nerves." Sabo glanced toward Dandan, the woman seemed to have finally decided to acknowledge their presence.

"He seems to be with a fever and a lot of pain." Sabo approached Luffy, bringing the boy's head to his lap and stroking his hair in an attempt to bring him comfort. With the proximity Sabo also noticed how the smaller one seemed to be having difficulty breathing.

"What happened to you? Ace said you were with your parents, brat. "Dandan spoke again, she looked nervous, always looking at Luffy and then turning her eyes to him like a chicken mother caring for the newborn chicks. Sabo felt warm, Dandan could treat them badly and always yell at them (most of the time rightly), but she still cared about them, that was fact.

"I ran away. I went with my father to prevent him from hurting Ace and Luffy, but when I heard about the fire I ran away wanting to warn them. I spent about three days running away until I was caught. "Sabo quickly explained everything that had happened to him, turning his attention to Luffy who was now trembling in his arms.

"Your parents are noble aren't they? I don't understand why they arrested you." Dandan spoke, and Sabo looked at her, not expecting the woman to know his lineage. "What? Did you think I would not know that you, with your clothes and intelligence, are a noble?"

Dandan looked at him cynically, twisting his mouth into a sarcastic smile. Sabo should have expected this, after all Dandan was older and seemed to know well the nobles.

"Why is it that my parents are noble because I am not here? I ran away, remember?" Sabo asked, wanting to get away from Dandan's thoughts by being smarter than she looked.

He heard Dandan's high chuckle, she continued to laugh for a while, as if she were really amused by Sabo's ignorance of the whole situation.

"Boy, who held us were the nobles." Sabo sighed, surprised at the revelation, yet he should have expected something like that after the fire. "Not any noble, but a Tenryuubito."

This destabilized Sabo, who held himself so as not to scream in surprise and horror. _A Tenryuubito?_ Sabo knew that one of them would come to visit the Kingdom of Goa, but for what he knew the visit should only occur in a couple of days; if Sabo had been captured three days after the fire, that meant the Tenryuubito had arrived earlier than expected.

And that was not good, not good at all. Sabo knew very well what the Tenryuubitos were like; they were those who made slavery possible, since they were most fond of the action of taking the liberty of those they considered inferior to them, which included all who were _not_ them. In short, they were the kinds of people that Sabo hated most.

"It doesn't matter if I'm a nobleman, Dandan." The woman looked at him, noting the boy's trembling form. If Dandan had a better maternal instinct she would, of course, resent the blonde and try to protect the boy, but the only thing Dandan could feel at that moment was sadness.

 _He is just a child in a rotten world and this world has no pity for anyone or children._

"If it's a Tenryuubito who arrested me, then surely it doesn't matter what class I am and my parents are sure to be doing everything so they don't know I have any relation to them." Sabo looked at Dandan, his blue eyes closed with resignation. "After all, they wouldn't like to tarnish their reputation."

Before Dandan could reply the iron door had been opened once more, Sabo watched as a different, bigger and stronger man carried Ace like a sack of potatoes as he dragged some other chained people whom Sabo recognized as residents of the Gray Terminal.

The man soon approached the cell where Sabo and Luffy were, opening the door and throwing Ace against the wall, making the boy utter a small cry of pain. Sabo looked at his brother, seeing blood covering various parts of the boy's broken body. The blonde wanted to cry and scream in anger, but he was content to crawl, with Luffy now sitting on his lap, facing the brunette with freckles and positioning him so that he was lying with his head on his shoulder.

When he managed to find a partially comfortable position for himself and Ace, Sabo returned his attention to the man who now played the other people in the other cells. He watched cautiously as the man walked to the door and paused, looking carefully at all the captives.

"In a half hour a man will come in here and examine all the _wounds_ , you should _not_ react at all, or you would not receive treatment and you will be punished accordingly." The way the man spoke made Sabo feel like vomiting. If before the inhabitants of the Terminal were already considered pariahs by the ambitious society of the Kingdom of Goa, they had now been demoted to mere expendable objects that could be bought.

As the man left the room, several residents of the Terminal began to despair, some resigned themselves to their situation, kept silent and others began to cry, but none of them commented on how there should be some hope of getting rid of the destiny of being a slave. Everyone knew there was no escape, creating hope was only a way to die faster.

"Dandan.." The whisper came from Ace, his voice weak and broken, almost inaudible among the cries of the other prisoners, yet Dandan seemed to hear him and turned to look at Ace.

"What was a brat?" Dandan felt himself on the verge of a heart attack, the boy she saw growing up from a tiny, prickly baby was covered in blood. Even when Ace was still learning to hunt, he wasn't as hurt as he was now. Danda had never felt so useless at the time.

"Where are the others?" Ace seemed to be having a hard time speaking, breathing shallow and shaky, Sabo by his side was afraid the other had broken ribs, yet Ace continued. "What happened to Dogra and Magra? They should be with Luffy. "

Sabo also found himself curious, the only thug he had seen so far had been Dandan. The building they were in looked like a chain, maybe the other bandits were trapped somewhere else? He hoped Dandan would know.

"Do you remember what happened after we fought against Bluejam, Ace?" Dandan answered them with another question that was also one of Sabo's doubts among all events.

"No...I just remember fighting with him." Ace looked at Dandan, for a moment he seemed to faint, but only sighed slowly, trying to concentrate on breathing without groaning in pain.

"You know what happened, Dandan?" That time it was Sabo who asked, for now he would ask the questions, Ace wasn't in a position to speak. Dandan looked at them and sighed wearily, she seemed to look for something in her pockets, to realize that what she wanted was no longer with her. Maybe it was her cigarettes, the woman was a compulsory smoker after all.

"Yes. After fighting against Bluejam we managed to flee, the fire had been extinguished by dawn and city guards were looking for survivors to eliminate. You took a heavy blow to the head so you shouldn't remember Ace, but you dragged me to a part of the forest, I couldn't walk well. "Dandan paused, watching the boys in the other cell. "Dogra and Magra appeared with Luffy still unconscious, they apparently decided to wait for us in the surroundings and then took care of our wounds."

Dandan broke off again, feeling his heart pound in pain, she didn't want to remember what had happened, but the boys had to know and they wanted to know.

"I couldn't walk, Magra was carrying Luffy and Dogra was injured so we stayed in the surroundings for two days, until some people from the Gray Terminal appeared, they said they were able to take refuge in the forest during the fire and that they were going to check if it was to hold back to the Terminal. "Dandan again interrupted his speech, but this time it was because of a coughing fit coming from Ace.

Sabo looked at him and moved to see if his brother's ribs were really broken, but Ace shook his head, pointing a finger at Luffy who was sitting on Sabo's lap, still unconscious and feverish. Sabo sighed and simply leaned down so that he would let Ace fully lie down on the blonde. Dandan, observing all the interaction, resolved simply to clear his throat and continue his tale; she could do nothing for the boys.

"At night one of the residents who had gone to the Terminal returned bleeding, he said that the guards shot and captured the others. Worst of all was that he said the Marines seemed to be helping them. "Dandan sighed, feeling tired and old. "Magra and Dogra took care of the wounded man, but..."

Ace looked at her, his black eyes daring Dandan to continue, not accepting the hesitation of the woman. She seemed afraid of what she was going to say and Ace didn't have the strength to play offense at the bandit leader in order to force her to speak. Dandan seemed to realize this as well, for with a resigned look he returned to tell his side of the story.

"A guard and a marine followed the man and discovered us. I had Magra get you and Luffy and get away with Dogra, but they were faster." Dandan closed her eyes, remembering the events. "They shot Dogra, right in the head and then they shot at Magra, the shot hit Luffy." Ace and Sabo choked, feeling the familiar panic rise through their throats and suffocate them. Sabo pressed Luffy into his arms, wanting to make sure his little brother was really there.

"But Luffy...He doesn't look like he's been shot." Sabo said, running his hands gently over the bandages covering the boy's body and looking for a wound that sent a bullet.

"Oh, you have to thank Akuma no Mi the boy's." Dandan laughed, a little relieved and a little tearful. "Apparently he's bulletproof."

"EEEHHHH?!" Ace and Sabo's reaction was too hilarious for the situation; his eyes wide and her mouth open in surprise. In the end, Luffy's power didn't seem to be as useless as before in the eyes of the two older brothers.

"Yes, I imagined you wouldn't know." Dandan laughed for a while longer, until she sighed, bowing her head and hiding her eyes that were now tearing with sadness. "Magra became distracted after Luffy was shot and shot in the leg, I tried to fight them and make time for Magra to try to run away again, but reinforcements arrived and we were caught."

Ace and Sabo were stunned. Dogra had been killed and Magra was wounded, and if he wasn't with Dandan this could only mean that he was also dead. Ace felt his stomach twist at the thought that the two bandits had died trying to protect Luffy and him.

"Where's Magra?" It was Sabo who asked, wanting to put an end to all his own doubts. It was cruel to ask, but the whole situation was already cruel, a phrase less or more wouldn't make any difference at that moment.

"Dead." Dandan replied, sneering and unwanted tears sliding down the weathered face. Magra and Dogra were the first bandits to join her at Mount Crow, were the ones who witnessed much of Dandan's life experiences. But most importantly, it was they who helped her to create Ace, maybe it wasn't the best way, maybe the mountain thugs could have given more affection instead of screaming.

Perhaps Ace wouldn't hate his birth or blood so much, but these were the _"ifs"_ that Dandan preferred to think of on nights when the sakê warmed her and the forest was as silent as a graveyard. In the end, Dandan and the others raised a strong boy and then watched as the same changed with the arrival of Luffy, a troubled, traveling ray of sunshine that had become as precious to Dandan as Ace.

Tears continued to fall, and neither Ace nor Sabo had the courage to interrupt the woman's mourning moment. They knew that Magra and Dogra were the closest Dandan ever called anyone in the family.

After that there was only silence and Ace felt drowsy, the pain was now little recognized by the weary mind and before the boy realized he had gone to sleep. Sabo, too tired, decided to follow his brother's example and snuggled up, squeezing Luffy into his embrace and resting his head on top of Ace's. Dandan watched them and for the next few minutes watched over them, then the man who was supposed to treat his wounds would come and then the boys would know of his fate.

* * *

 **Okay, I'm feeling horrible after that chapter, I'm sure someone will comment on my decision to kill Dogra and Magra, but as I said before, my story is somewhat darker than One Piece and, unlike Oda, I don't feel so sorry for killing characters.**

 **I had reason to kill both, the first is to give you a taste of the kind of story it is, and my second reason is that the two were the most vulnerable at that time because they were responsible for running away with Ace and Luffy, while Dandan, even wounded, still had a way to defend himself without worrying about the boys. On the whole, circumstances have made Dogra and Magra vulnerable and those who work for nobles are never merciful. In OP even this is made clear when Magra (or Dogra, I don't remember well) tells Luffy that it is dangerous to return to the Terminal because there are city guards patrolling the burned garbage dump.**

 **In all, I hope it wasn't a very boring or long read, I wanted to leave all the explanations for a single chapter so I confess that this first chapter was very long (the word count was more than 4k, I'm slightly impressed).**

 **\- xoxo :)**


	2. Chapter 2

**Many thanks to everyone who has read and commented in the first chapter! I'm glad you liked it, I was super nervous about it!**

 **I will answer some of the reviews here:**

 **Nala1220 : AAH! I'm so glad you were excited about another fanfic about the ASL and the Whitebeard Pirates! This type of fanfic has already become a bit old in fandom, so I was pretty nervous that nobody liked it, so thank you so much for liking it!**

 **Fire D. Rion : Well, in that case, I hope I'm not letting you down with the story! Oh, I think I needed to explore Dandan's feelings, I really like her character, even though when she first appeared I was incredibly annoyed by her abusive behavior towards Luffy and Ace! I was really annoyed, but Oda really surprised me with the unfolding of Dandan's character growth, showing me how beneath all that thick bark she was, perhaps, the best "mom" boys could have had! So I certainly couldn't fail to show this side of her in this fanfic, especially in such a bad situation that they meet.**

 **Jordansdevil / Bloody25 : I'm really happy to hear that you liked it! Thanks for the support!**

* * *

Sabo woke up with the sound of the door of his cell being opened, he had to control himself not to make sudden movements and wake his brothers when he came across the figure of a tall man wearing a long top hat. The man approached and in instinct Sabo tried to bring the brothers closer to him, trying to stay as far as possible from the adult.

"Don't try anything suspicious and _don't_ _try_ to run away, any of these actions have a proper punishment and you _do not_ want to know what it is." The man spoke, his authoritative voice and height brought shivers of fear and caution, but Sabo tried to follow what he had said.

If he was right, it was the doctor who was supposed to examine them, and however humiliating Sabo knew that both Ace and Luffy needed medical attention. The blonde tried to relax, showing himself in a way that seemed vulnerable. Now it was time to be the responsible older brother he always appeared to be.

"Please, my brothers..." Sabo felt his mouth and lips dry, realizing that he had not drank or drank for some time. The doctor seemed to hear him, for he walked to Ace, who was still asleep leaning against Sabo. The blond felt his heart lose a beat when he realized the man was pulling Ace out of the cell.

"WAIT!" Sabo tried to grab Ace, afraid that he would be taken again. He didn't want to part with any of his brothers, but before he could do anything Sabo felt a kick in his head, making his vision darken and spin for a few seconds.

When he realized he wasn't alone with the doctor, the man who took Ace before was there. Before Sabo could react, he found himself taking another kick, this time taking him to the ground and causing the blonde to fall over Luffy, Sabo was frightened, thinking that he had woken up the brother or the wounded one more, but the young one continued unconscious, and that worried the blonde even more. Luffy hadn't awoken once since he'd been arrested.

"Enough." The doctor spoke again, this time in order to stop Sabo's beating. "I understand you're worried about getting separated from this boy, but I can't take care of him here." The doctor looked directly at Sabo, trying to give him some confidence in his words.

If it was another time Sabo would have resisted a little longer, but he was tired and, frankly, terrified. Any word at that moment would be trusted for the ten-year-old.

"You, take the other one and take him to my room." The doctor spoke to the guard who stepped forward to get Luffy, this time Sabo didn't resist, letting his brothers take him. He just hoped it was the right decision.

* * *

Ace woke up again a little dizzy, but this time there was no pain and he thanked for it. He remembered talking to Dandan, about Dogra and Magra's death, and about how they had been captured, but he didn't know if something else had happened later.

Feeling there was nothing left to remember, Ace opened his eyes, trying to get accustomed to the light. He was no longer in the cell, it was only by strong illumination that he could know this, yet he tried to move his head and look around, something caught his attention and soon he realized that he was looking at Luffy lying on a bed next to hers, but what really caught his attention was the tall man hovering over his brother's figure.

Ace, thinking that Luffy was in danger, tried to move and attack the man, but soon realized that he was in prison; his hands were chained to the bed, as were his ankles. Seeing that it was not possible to let go, Ace decided to catch the attention of the strange man.

"Hey! What do you think you're doing to Luffy, you son of a bitch?!" The man finally seemed to realize that Ace was awake and moved away from the other boy who was still asleep. Ace was annoyed by this, even when the younger would sleep? It was time for Luffy to wake up so he wouldn't become a burden instead of just a responsibility.

Their situation was no longer a good thing, and having the younger boy unconscious formed a weak bond that could easily be tapped, extinguishing any form of escape. They could call him an _idiot_ , but Ace was not willing to just give up like the others, he had two brothers to care for and a dream filled with sea, recognition and _freedom_ to fulfill.

He _couldn't_ afford to simply give up. It would be the same as running away and Ace _never_ runs away from _anything_.

"Oh? It seems like you're awake." The strange man approached Ace and it almost made him sigh in relief, Ace _hated_ to see Luffy in danger, mainly because he was always the youngest boy who got into those situations and then Sabo and he had to help the other, which only proves the boy's weakness in relation to the other two brothers.

All in all, for Ace, having Luffy in danger was simply _annoying_.

"Good? What did you say?" Ace felt a chill of fear creep up his spine. This man, even with all his thinness provoked by the height, gave him a sense of danger. "You called me something, didn't you? Could you repeat?"

The man now hovered over Ace, using his height as an advantage to intimidate the ten-year-old, and it looked like it was not working very well. The boy wasn't the type to be intimidated easily, even if he was afraid, it didn't seem to make him bow to someone else.

"I called you _son of a bitch_ , any problem with that?" The man seemed to be enraged, showing this by twisting his face in a grimace. Unable to move Ace, once again, found himself helpless as his hair was drawn, making his head arch uncomfortably. The man didn't look satisfied and gripped the freckled boy's face, the strength being enough to leave reddish marks on his fingers.

"Listen here brat, if I were you I'd take your words carefully. You may be a _Tenryuubito_ commodity, but that doesn't mean I can not make you feel pain."

Ace was wide-eyed, unlike Sabo, he didn't know who had been ordered to arrest them, but just like the blonde he knew who the Tenryuubito were. Sabo himself had spoken of them once when Ace had questioned the boy about the life of a nobleman, trying to understand how people who had the money to live their dreams could be so _cruel_.

Ace had always thought that ruthless people were the ones he beat up when he asked about his father, whether they were like the people at the Gray Terminal or the Bluejam Pirates. Of course, he knew that it was the Goa nobles who threw all that garbage in the Terminal and knew that they despised poor people like the freckled boy.

Still, he couldn't understand how they could be cruel with their _own_ _family_ and so Sabo explained it about the World Nobles and how they were considered an example to be followed by the nobles in Goa and Ace understood at least a little suffering and his brother's displeasure at having been born as a nobleman.

Before the boy could reply, he heard a cough and a grumble, that sounded very much like his name, from the bed where Luffy was. The man also seemed to hear him and walked away from the bed-bound boy, deciding to approach Luffy again. Ace growled, wanting the man to just leave his little brother alone.

"Well, it looks like I got carried away a bit." Before the man spoke as he walked toward Luffy. "I never liked children, you guys are very annoying." Ace tried to pull away again, simply wanting to take that nasty smile off that man's face.

"I'm sure you're like this for this boy, but don't worry, I'm here to heal them and not to hurt them, even if with _you_ my desire is different." So Ace finally understood, that was the doctor who the man who had beaten him before had said he would come and help them.

He didn't look like a good doctor or a good person, but if Ace was no longer feeling pain it should be because of his care and if so, he could also help Luffy. With that thought the boy seemed to calm down, trying to keep quiet so that nothing would go wrong and the doctor decided he would not cure Luffy.

Ace hated to swallow his pride, but he knew when it was necessary. He learned from Makino's few visits to Mount Crow and he would use this little wisdom if it meant helping his brother.

"It sounds like you've decided to calm down, that's good." The doctor still kept his annoying smile on his face and Ace really found it difficult to keep quiet, but he managed to simply take a deep breath.

As he controlled his temper in the slightest, Ace finally looked toward Luffy who still looked half-dazed, rolling his head in an attempt to open his eyes without being blinded by the light.

"A...ce..." His name came out slowly and in a trap, but Ace understood well that Luffy was calling him, looking for him. For some reason Ace felt warm knowing that the child was looking for him, wanted him, Portgas D. Ace who was always hated and feared.

"Oh, lovely, isn't it?" The doctor spoke again, and Ace knew it was in an attempt to irritate him. He didn't let himself be carried away, preferring to look closely at Luffy who seemed more and more lucid.

Ace watched as the doctor examined Luffy, causing the boy to answer questions about what his name was or what Ace was for Luffy. They were very silly questions from the point of view of the boy with freckles, but he wasn't a doctor or Sabo to know what was important or not when it came to someone wounded.

"Did you eat an Akuma no Mi?" The doctor asked Luffy and Ace panicked with the predatory smile on the tall man's face. He knew that some people considered users of Akuma no Mi aberrations. Maybe because of the lack of knowledge the East Blue people had about these diabolical fruits or simple cruelty masked by an often irrational fear.

"Yes..." Luffy replied slowly, then made an effort to squeeze and pull one of his cheeks, stretching her in an unnatural way. "I ate Gomu Gomu no Mi, I'm a rubber man!"

Ace wanted to slap his forehead, Luffy was too confident and never knew how to keep any secret. Or at least he didn't know how to keep secrets that didn't seem important enough to keep, as was proven throughout the Porchemy incident months ago.

"Well, well. That's very _good_." Ace turned his attention to the doctor, startled by the sadistic smile that covered his face. He looked _really_ happy with the news that Luffy had an Akuma no Mi. This made warning signs appear in the mind of the ten-year-old boy, realizing that the problem at that moment _wasn't_ the possibility that Luffy might be hurt because he was considered a freak for having a strange power, the real danger was what they _would do_ with Luffy to know that he had eaten a diabolical fruit.

The doctor moved away from Luffy's bed, walking toward the door and opening it to talk to someone outside. Soon the man who had beaten Ace appeared with carrying handcuffs in his hands. Ace, for a moment, thought it would be for him, but soon his thinking turned out to be wrong as the guard approached Luffy.

This time Ace didn't mind the consequences of getting out of control, and he fought his bonds, wanting to get loose and prevent Luffy from being handcuffed. It was no longer enough that they were in that situation, those bastards still wanted to handcuff Luffy, who, among all those who were trapped, was the most vulnerable and _weak_.

"It seems our little tiger is tantruming again." The doctor laughed lightly at Ace's aggressive behavior, finding it amusing instead of being frightened as many others would be before the boy's somber gaze and snarls.

It only irritated Ace even more that he felt on the verge of collapse. His anger was fulminating, and along with his abnormal strength it was becoming increasingly difficult for his bonds to continue to contain him. The guard seemed to realize this and the doctor too, for he seemed at last to be frightened by Ace's rage.

Even at the risk of Ace letting go, the guard simply passed the shackles to the doctor who understood what he should do. Ace squirmed even more, kicking his legs in an attempt to break free as fast as he could.

The guard, tall and muscular, approached the older boy's bed and simply punched him in the stomach, causing Ace to stop his fight and choke, spitting saliva and trying to breathe.

"Doc, I hope you have already put these handcuffs on, this merchandise will surely be our _biggest_ profit." The guard, after immobilizing Ace with the force of his punch, simply walked away and walked toward the door, looking one last time for the two boys in the beds.

"Oh, don't worry, nothing will happen to this brat." The doctor smiled again sadistically, but Ace felt too tired to protest and his chest still ached with the force of the previous blow.

Ace watched as the doctor put the handcuffs around Luffy's ankles and was startled when the boy squirmed tightly on the bed, then softened, as if he were about to fall asleep again. But Ace knew that there was something wrong, Luffy was much more awake before the man brought the cuffs, of course the seven-year-old should have been tired, but he never fell asleep so quickly right after waking.

"What did you do to my brother?!" Ace barely recognized his voice, the anger and despair present in her seemed to frighten him. He had never spoken like that, he had never _felt_ this way before; so protective of someone to the point of _fear_.

"Don't worry, little tiger, it's just a precaution so your little brother doesn't end up causing problems with these... _interesting_ powers." The doctor laughed as he finished the sentence, as if he were thinking of something when he recognized Luffy's powers as something interesting.

That laughter, short and unbelievably evil, gave him paralyzing shivers, turning some of his courage and anger into fear. People were sometimes so _bad_ , so corrupted that children like Ace, who had seen and heard a lot, were shaking and felt the need to shrink, to escape the attention of someone like that man.

* * *

Monkey D. Garp was paralyzed, sitting in his chair in the office he owned at Marineford. His hands, known to be able to break mountains with a single punch, were tightly closed in a squeeze to leave the knuckles white.

The Kingdom of Goa now temporarily owned a slave market. This phrase reverberated in his ears, inflaming his lungs painfully with a panic-like feeling. _The Kingdom of Goa now had a slave market_. The same Kingdom of Goa that was in East Blue, his _home_ , where he had left his _grandchildren_ to be looked after by mountain bandits. The same Kingdom of Goa that _Ace, Luffy, and Sabo_ were living in trouble and living as free as possible in front of their blood heritage.

Panic never came close to explaining the feelings that plagued the Vice Admiral of the Navy. He had never hated his adjuntancy, his position, his _damn_ superiors known for letting _monsters_ like the Tenryuubito do anything they wanted, from murder to slavery.

This was one of the reasons why Garp had hidden his grandchildren in a place commanded by bandits. He trusted Dandan more than anyone else in the whole Navy, except for Sengoku, his old friend and the only one who knew about his grandchildren. And now, even after all the protection, of all attempts not to draw attention to that tiny East Blue island, he felt as if he had made the _biggest_ mistake of his _life_.

Damn time a Tenryuubito had decided to travel to that spot on an inspection of _God knows what_. Damn time Sengoku had given him the responsibility of forming a small group to accompany this Tenryuubito for his inspection trips.

Damn time Garp, once again, took his duties as a burden and chose sailors who clearly had the same mindset as _despicable_ people like Akainu and the World Nobles. All to get rid of a boring task, his simple thought that it was better to send subordinates who would not cause trouble by preventing him from receiving some kind of sermon from Sengoku for not taking his tasks seriously.

Now, more than ever, he would rather have been the subject of one of Sengoku's complaints.

Garp finally moved, pulling up from his chair and sending her back, sliding it and banging against the wall. It was not time to martyred and indulge in self-loathing, first he had to save his _damn_ _grandchildren_ who surely should have been caught up with Dandan and the other thugs.

But first he had to draw up a plan. It wasn't simple to get rid of a slave market, especially when it was basically financed by a Tenryuubito. This was mainly due to the view that the World Government (and, consequently, the Navy) faced in the face of auctions and slave markets.

Of course, slavery remained a crime, but it had several rules regarding the arrest of people involved in this inhuman and criminal activity. One of the rules had been made _especially_ to keep this kind of business rolling in order to make the World Nobles _happy_. So the Navy could never simply show up at an auction and arrest anyone who worked in the business and who bought people. The same was true for slave markets, which were most often executed when a Tenryuubito wished King's to prove the taste of having someone so submissive to the point of ordering him to commit _suicide_ if the nobleman found it _amusing_.

These things seldom happened, mainly because of the ideas of superiority of the World Nobles, who considered themselves above anybody. Some of them simply didn't care about anything other than buying another item for their slave collections.

However, among all those biased rules, there was one that made possible not only the end of the traffic but also the rescue of several innocent victims, and it was this rule that Garp intended to enjoy to save his grandchildren.

The rule consisted basically of the situation that if there was a meeting between Sailors and slave traders, the Navy had full jurisdiction in the arrest of such persons. Often Garp, when traveling on the Grand Line, encountered ships known as Freighters, which were used as transportation for the people and newts that had been captured. Some of these freighters traveled not only by the Grand Line but also by the Blues, seeking to capture new people and sell them as slaves, some were mainly engaged in capturing children with Akuma no Mi, since they were rare and if sold to the right people, cost a fortune.

As risky as it seemed, Garp's only hope was that this Tenryuubito had contacted a Freighter and that this ship came directly to Sabodya, where it was possible to sell people openly.

With that in mind Garp prepared to assemble a small group of marines whom he trusted and who he knew would not deliver his plans to Sengoku, who would surely try to stop him. This time, _nothing_ would get in his way in trying to protect his grandchildren as he always should have done.

* * *

 **So I hope you enjoyed this chapter! Particularly I found it a little difficult to write it since I needed to present various information without leaving too annoying and also give space to present the feelings of the characters.**

 **Even though it was a little hard work I really enjoyed writing about Garp! I also really like him, even if, like Dandan, he is quite abusive in my perspective (seriously, if it were in our world he and Dandan would surely have been arrested for mistreating children), but I still think he a great comic relief, as well as a great paternal figure for Ace and Luffy.**

 **That is to say, even though he was absent, the few times we saw him interacting with the two brothers showed that he cares for them. I mean, Garp's grief and rage when he saw Ace's death left me in tears, and in his weird sort of way he had always supported Ace and Luffy when they felt insecure about themselves.**

 **Oh, I wanted to thank Syluk a lot for commenting and giving me incredible tips, I'm sure I'll follow them! I'm already looking for a beta and following your advice in writing in English and not just translate! Of course it's a bit more complicated and it takes a lot more time, but it's a good exercise for me as a writer!**

 **I'm pretty sure there are still mistakes in this chapter, even though I've reviewed it about twenty times, so forgive me if you find any! I'm still looking for a beta, so right now I'm doing it all by myself!**


	3. Chapter 3

**OK! I hope you like this chapter, oh and forgive me for any mistakes you may encounter! I have not been able to get a beta yet: /**

 **Now, let's respond to reviews!**

 **Nala1220: You're right! Many fans of ASL and Whitebeard Pirates are incomplete, which makes me very sad, since they are the fanfics that I like to read in fandom!**

 **If you're talking about Garp being abusive, then thanks for the support! I know some people who see nothing too much about how Garp acts with the boys, but even though Oda made their grandpa be too comical to take himself seriously, it must be acknowledged that his Spartan training is abusive, that he doesn't seem to me to be someone super present in life neither of Luffy or Ace.**

 **Ah well, I also don't think Garp would abandon his career as a marine, but if that was the image I went through then I feel a duty fulfilled, since I wanted to pass that possibility on to the readers, haha! About his theory that Garp is going to ask Whitebeard to take care of the boys, well, it's not impossible!**

 **Jordansdevil: Glad you liked the story unfolding! I want anyone reading to draw their own conclusions from what might happen in the other chapters, so I always try to pass on the perspective of various important characters, as I did with Garp in the last chapter!**

 **About me making Garp smarter than it looks, it was not exactly my intention, or my vision of him. I mean, Garp is a Vice Admiral who fought people who are now considered Emperors! Of course this is due to his physical strength, but against opponents like Big Mom it takes more than just determination and strength! This woman is incredibly treacherous after all!**

 **In addition to that he trained and rose in the hierarchy of the Navy along with Sengoku who seems to me some incredibly intelligent! I think Garp often makes a fool of himself, but he actually knows what he's doing! Not that he's a hidden genius, he's a man of simple thoughts just like Luffy, but when it comes to battles the Monkey D. family seems to be incredibly strategic, even if it's mostly run on instinct.**

 **animefan1991: Hmm, well I did not expect that! The first notification you should have received was because of my mistake, I ended up posting the wrong chapter! And when I realized that I selected the wrong Document I was quickly delete it!**

 **But I didn't expect the site not to warn the second chapter about the new chapter, so sorry for the fright! So that this does not happen again and if it happens, you can check if I actually posted a new chapter, I decided to leave in my profile the development of the chapters. Each chapter posted will be placed as "100%" in my profile and those still in development I will leave the percentage estimate of it, so anything is just go to my profile and see if any new chapter has been completed or not!**

 **That's all! Let's go to the chapter! :)**

* * *

Sabo was leaning against the wall, coughing with the difficulty of breathing. It had been a long time since the doctor had taken Ace and Luffy to have their wounds treated, and yet Sabo continued to feel the consequences of the kick he had received.

He might have had one or two fractured ribs, for with any movement he did he seemed to spread a fire of pure pain all over his chest. However, even with the pain he still felt glad, after all he had succeeded in getting his brothers (who were in a much worse situation than he) treated, which increased their chance of survival. Of course the future that might have been waiting for them left a bitter taste in the blond's mouth, but he tried to hold onto the little good things. _So, yes, Sabo was glad_.

"You look very happy, boy." Dandan finally said, after crying to sleep.

The blonde looked at the woman and felt a pang of sympathy, the golden eyes that always seemed to glow with some feeling were opaque and red from the tears and the woman herself seemed to be curled up against herself, as if trying to comfort herself after losses it suffered.

"I'm not _happy_ , I'm just glad. Ace and Luffy will have their wounds dealt with, and maybe Luffy will finally wake up!" Sabo smiled again, thinking it would be nice to finally hear his younger brother's annoying voice.

"So if the youngest wench wakes up you're going to have to explain what's going on, right?" The blond froze, letting his small smile disappear into a look of _horror_.

He had completely forgotten that they would have to explain to Luffy _why_ they were in jail and the blond boy was sure that this would not be an easy conversation. Like Sabo and Ace, Luffy _hated_ to feel trapped, perhaps his reasons were different from those of Sabo, who hated the sense of being a prisoner for having experienced a prison situation before, but Luffy was very restless, too confident and hyperactive to achieve to stand still in one place.

Luffy was always on the lookout for adventures, which consisted of dangerous and troublesome situations for the two older brothers, so just thinking about a Luffy awake and trapped, gave Sabo a chill.

Dandan seemed to laugh, finding the terror in Sabo's face amusing, and he prepared himself to give her a sulky reply in an attempt to make the woman shut up, but before he could open his mouth the large iron door opened again, the blonde turned his attention to a different guard carrying a grumpy Ace and a very _quiet_ Luffy.

As much as Sabo wished Luffy wasn't awake so he wouldn't have to explain the whole situation to the youngest, he was very disturbed by Luffy's silence. The boy was always very noisy and full of energy, Sabo liked to call him _sunshine_ when the boy with the straw hat was not around.

It was an affectionate nickname that both Sabo and Ace had joined after a while, but they never called him that in front of Luffy. It was a tacit agreement between the two elders that it would be embarrassing to call Luffy by such a silly nickname, but that never stopped Sabo from, on the cooler nights, snuggling with Luffy and Ace in his treehouse and calling the sleeping boy from _our little sunshine_.

Then to see Luffy so quiet was to witness an eternal night surrounded by darkness.

Lost in his thoughts, Sabo barely realized that his cell had been opened and that his brothers had been thrown in. He only seemed to awaken from his trance when he felt Ace grab his shoulder in a futile attempt to hold himself in a half-seated position.

"Ace...Why do you look like you guys are worse than before? I mean, you guys have new bandages and they don't even look like any more pain, but..." Ace looked at him with an exhausted expression, but still paying attention to his brother, waiting for him to finish his speech. "Something seems _wrong_."

"We're fine, but that doctor did something _weird_ with Luffy." Ace pointed to the cuffs on the smaller boy's ankles, and Sabo wondered if that was what kept Luffy quiet.

"This is Seastone." Dandan's voice caught the attention of the two boys, now even more interested in hearing what the woman had to say.

"Seastone? What is this?" Sabo questioned, getting up with difficulty and catching Luffy, bringing him closer to the wall and making him sit on Ace's lap that looked more awake.

Sabo sat back next to his brother, watching as Ace wrapped his arms around Luffy's waist to pull him closer, making the boy lean on his chest and giving Ace a place to support his chin. The blonde felt a little strange to see the scene, but the feeling was not bad and brought a slight peace of mind.

It was good to see his brothers by his side, even if they were not safe or less hurt. He turned his attention to Dandan, who had continued in silence, observing the actions of Sabo and Ace.

"What is sea stone, Dandan?" Sabo asked again, feeling that this was important if it made Luffy, of all people, keep silent.

"It is a special stone taken from the sea, it is used against users of Akuma no Mi. It seems that this stone has the same effect as the sea when in contact with someone who ate a devil fruit."

Ace sighed, resting his chin on the straw hat on the younger boy's head, as if reflecting on the new information. Something seemed to click in Ace's mind, for his expression became almost terrified.

"So it's as if Luffy was drowning?!" That caught Dandan and Sabo off guard, Dandan not expecting that to be the conclusion the dark-haired boy would end up with. She almost felt like laughing, but soon she saw that even the blond seemed to believe this absurd theory.

"Do not talk silly brat! Luffy is not drowning, of course he cann't swim, but these are not the consequences he suffers from coming into contact with water! "Dandan looked irritated, as if he did not believe in the absurdity that had come out of Ace's mouth.

"What did you want?! You said it was as if Luffy was in the sea, you old hag! "Ace seemed to be blushing, but his eyes were narrow in annoyance and shortly after cursing Dandan he stuck his tongue out in a childlike action.

"You ungrateful brat!" Dandan shouted, looking ready to teach a lesson to Ace, and Sabo felt as if they had never left Mount Raven or Dandan Country, that they were back in the woods, fleeing from the angry bandit leader after they preached one more of his jokes.

But instead of giving Ace a good hunk, Dandan simply sighed tiredly, returning to his fallen posture, and then the effect was broken and Sabo found himself once again trapped with bars separating them from anything and everything he would one day called his free life.

"Have not you ever asked Luffy how he felt when he got wet? What kind of brother are you?!" Dandan seemed to want to provoke Ace, who always took these types of comments seriously, but lacked the usual mood, so Ace barely reacted to the comment.

"He said he felt weak. Is that what the sea stone does? Let him weak?" Sabo asked, wanting to appease the two before another argument started and caught the attention of the guards.

"Yes, that's one of the effects." Dandan seemed calmer, and then her eyes were narrowed in earnest. "Another effect is that the sea stone nullifies the power of the users of Akuma no Mi, basically Luffy is now as human as we are. He can get hurt like any of us now."

This brought a reaction from both Ace and Sabo, who stared at the woman in amazement as if they couldn't believe what she was saying. The two boys seemed to share the same line of thought when they realized that if Luffy could now get hurt like anyone else, then he was even more in danger than before.

Ace knew that Luffy's only weaknesses were sharp things and his shitty gramps Fist of Love. To think that now the seven-year-old could be hurt by anything, even his punches, was somewhat paralyzing.

"Does that mean that all the punch Luffy gets will hurt like Garp's Fist of Love?!" Sabo seemed to read his mind as he expressed what Ace felt at that moment. If now everything could hurt Luffy this meant that the boy would cry constantly and would surely end up attracting unwanted attention that could end up in more suffering for the younger.

 _This was a complete nightmare._

"Yes." Dandan's confirmation of Sabo's almost rhetorical question did not improve the feeling that took over Ace. Oh god, they were so _screwed_.

" _Ugh_... Ace..." The two boys turned their attention to Luffy, who seemed finally to be regaining consciousness.

Sabo approached so that he was in front of Ace, to observe his brother better, besides that it would also hide Luffy from the sight of anyone who looked at their cell. Maybe that didn't stop Luffy from being taken from their arms, but it never cost anything to try.

"Luffy?" Sabo asked gently, trying to make Luffy even more aware without scaring him. The blond knew that Ace, no matter how much he cared for the child, could not be gentle enough to wake up Luffy, who spent several days unconscious and now with the sea stone making him even more vulnerable, it was obvious that the boy with the straw hat needed a gentler approach instead of Ace's typical irritation.

Even though, most of the time, it was Ace's angry attitude that could control Luffy when the boy got into trouble or said stupid things.

"Sabo? Ace..." Luffy still seemed disoriented, his eyes always wide with innocence, as if even keeping them open drained all his strength. Sabo suspected that this was exactly what was happening. _"Sabo's back?"_

The pure _hope_ and affection that filled Luffy's voice made Sabo blush. The blond, like Ace, wasn't accustomed to having someone who cared as much as he did, but Luffy always seemed to prove that he was not like everyone else. He cared for his _brothers_ , cared about those lost boys who never learned to live, just to _survive_.

"I'm here Luffy. I came back." Sabo grabbed Luffy's hand, realizing for the first time since meeting the younger, how his hand was larger compared to the other. Luffy was always small for his age, but it was the first time Sabo really _realized_ that.

"Sabo!" Luffy seemed to realize that the situation wasn't a dream. Sabo was really there, the ASL brothers were reunited. The smile that opened on Luffy's face made the other two boys look up in surprise.

It was not uncommon to see Luffy smiling; the boy was the most smiling among the three, and sometimes that smile was so wide it seemed to want to tear his cheeks. But still the smile that the two boys of ten years saw still surprised them, perhaps because the situation in which they were not happy or it was because they had not seen Luffy's smile for some time.

Maybe it was a combination of both, it didn't matter much at the time. Ace seemed to smile too, hugging Luffy a little stronger, Sabo was also smiling, his smile wider than Ace. Sabo would never confess aloud, but he'd missed the rubber boy's smiles.

"Where are we?" Luffy's question broke the moment he formed, Sabo let the smile fall and Ace became tense, making Luffy feel uncomfortable with the strong grip around him, Ace seemed to notice his brother's discomfort and loosened the tightening, but it was the only change in his posture.

Ace was still tense, the soft smile of before gone fast and he was back with his usual frown. The situation did not really deserve smiles, they were not in the woods behind dinner and trying to save Luffy from being eaten, again, by crocodiles.

"Ace?" Luffy called to him, tugging lightly on the ragged shirt that lightly covered the older boy in a way to get his attention. "Why am I in pain? They cut me?"

The questions didn't seem to improve in any way the state Ace and Sabo met. Luffy always seemed to know how to ask the right questions at the wrong times, and that was a wrong time. Sabo tightened his hold on Luffy's hand, making the boy turn his gaze to the blonde, not understanding why his two older brothers were so tense.

"Sabo? Ace? What happened?" Luffy seemed to know that something was incredibly wrong, and by the way he looked at Sabo, with his wide, serious black eyes, it was enough to know that the seven-year-old would continue to ask what was wrong until one of them gave you the answers you wanted.

Sabo and Ace looked at each other, knowing they could not protect Luffy from this truth. They both seemed to be having a little discussion as they looked at each other, and in the end, Sabo sighed, knowing he had to be telling Luffy the whole truth.

* * *

It had been nearly ten minutes since Sabo, with a little help from Ace and, surprisingly, Dandan, had told everything they needed to Luffy. The reaction they expected was what they were accustomed to; Luffy would cry and, at some point, Ace would irritate himself and eventually hit the boy, causing him to cry in an attempt to show that he was not weak.

What they got was something tremendously worse. Luffy was completely still, his gaze frozen at some point invisible to the others. Ace had tried to get some reaction from the boy, shaking his shoulders and calling his name, but nothing seemed to take the boy out of his shock.

"Luffy..." Sabo whispered, worried about his brother. Luffy did not even seem to recognize that Sabo was talking to him, or that Ace once again embraced him tightly.

Ace tried to call him again, this time more gently, as on nights when the seven-year-old had nightmares and neither he nor Sabo knew how to wake the younger. It was a voice that Ace had to learn to use after various mistakes and hits.

Something seemed to crack in Luffy at the sound of the freckle boy's voice, and then a few tears slid down his child's face. Luffy seemed to be torn between talking and breathing, as his chest began to rise erratically, making his breath come out panting. Ace didn't know if he was relieved or terrified by the reaction he had finally gained from Luffy. The boy in his arms seemed desperate to breathe, at the same time that he couldn't stop crying. It was a soundless cry, Luffy's voice catching between gagging and sobs.

Suddenly Sabo approached, forcing Luffy to look at him, Ace watched as the blonde took one of Luffy's hands and placed it in his chest, well above the heart, the other still holding Luffy's face so that he continued to look at him.

"Luffy, _breathe_. In and out. _Slowly_." Sabo breathed heavily, drawing as much air as he could to his lungs and releasing slowly. He continued to repeat the same process until Luffy followed his movements.

Ace watched as Luffy and Sabo synchronized their breaths until the younger one was quieter, without the panic traits that once clouded Luffy's black eyes. Ace settled Luffy between his legs, letting Luffy's legs also open for Sabo to approach without much difficulty.

Luffy seemed to be calmer and the crying had stopped almost completely, leaving tears on his cute face. Sabo calmly wiped away the tears in the corners of his eyes, hoping that his gentle touch would make Luffy even calmer. After a few minutes, Luffy finally seemed to control himself. The brunette snuggled closer to Ace's chest, making the older lean his chin against the black locks. Luffy's precious straw hat was taken sometime between Ace and Sabo's attempts to calm the younger.

"Are you going to leave me?" The question was whispered in a whisper, as if being uttered aloud it might come true. Sabo's heart seemed to break in his chest. He shouldn't take the question so seriously, but it was almost impossible, especially knowing how much Luffy must have suffered when Sabo was taken in exchange for the lives of his two brothers.

Ace seemed to think the same, for he looked at the blond, for the right words to say. They couldn't really promise that they would be together forever, not even they knew what would happen to them after they were sold, but Ace's will was to promise Luffy that he would never leave him, that he couldn't leave him, like the brother weaker, alone without them there to protect him.

"Of course not! We will _never_ leave you!" Sabo replied, shaking Luffy by the shoulders, wanting the boy to understand what he said by force. It almost looked like Ace and the blond had changed bodies; Sabo was always the first to appease the fights between Ace and Luffy, and he was the last one among them to let himself be overwhelmed with anger.

"But you said we're going to be sold! I don't want to be a slave, but I don't want to be alone either!" This time Luffy really cried loudly, as he was accustomed to do. "If Gramps were here he would help us!"

Luffy wept again, not recognizing how his last speech affected the two other boys. It seemed that the two boys had been shocked, they had completely forgotten that Garp was part of the Navy and that, if they remembered well, he was a Vice Admiral.

If Sabo remembered the Navy hierarchy, then Garp was in a position high enough to interfere in that situation, and perhaps they could be saved from becoming slaves! The joy that invaded the blond was enough to give Ace some hope that the end of it all might be they getting their freedom back, and a second chance to fulfill their dreams of becoming pirates.

"Don't even bother to wait for Garp. He will not help us." Dandan's voice interrupted the unbridled thoughts of the two brothers, which also made Luffy stop crying.

"What do you mean, you hag?! Shitty Gramps is a Vice Admiral, isn't he? He lives by saying how strong he is! Of course he can help us!" Ace shouted, getting annoyed at Dandan for trying to crush his hopes. Luffy, still between his legs, tried to calm down Ace, even saying that Dandan did not know anything and that his grandfather would surely save them.

Sabo was the only one who seemed to be interested in what the woman had to say, and Dandan took it as his cue to explain why his _dear_ grandfather could never interfere with what was happening at that time in the Kingdom of Goa.

"He can't help any of us because he _works_ for the Tenryuubitos." It made Ace calm down and Luffy fell silent, looking wide-eyed and startled at Dandan. Sabo continued to stare with an expressionless face, waiting for the woman to finish what she had to say. He had the feeling that he would not like what he would hear.

"What do you mean Gramps works for these people? Aren't they evil? Gramps said he arrested bad people!" Luffy asked, confused with everything. Garp always talked about how sailors were those who arrested bad pirates and thugs, about how the Navy was who protected people from the _evil_ in the world. If so, he couldn't have worked for those people who wanted to sell him and his brothers.

Dandan laughed, a bitter laugh from someone who knew how the world really worked. The world was rotten, corrupted by the vision of good or evil that was perpetuated by the World Government. But it wasn't all that simple, the redhead knew all too well; what Garp called _Justice_ was no more than a utopian idea that would make people like the World Nobles reign.

The man could have the best intentions by being a marine. In fact, there were bad pirates and bad guys, just as there were bad marines. Dandan never really understood that in man; sometimes he was naive in believing that evil in the world were only pirates, but at other times Dandan could clearly see the weight Garp carried.

The woman had known him for many years, even before he'd given her Ace to raise, and before the boy - son of the _Pirate_ _King_ \- was delivered and trusted by the boy's parents to the Vice Admiral, Dandan knew that Garp had almost the same mentality as several other marines.

Sure, he might have sounded silly, but the bandit leader knew the man was aware that not everything the Navy did was considered Justice, but Garp had always been a man of simple thoughts, so to him, while they were doing their job so that he would leave the rest of the world free from the heinous acts of the pirates, so he had nothing to complain about.

Dandan knew that things were not so simple and for this reason he always felt that Garp was a foolish man who would die early on account of his own justified and foolishness. But then he appeared with a baby in his arms and declared that the boy was the son of _Gol D. Roger_ , and that the pirate had entrusted his creation to the man who was considered his _enemy_.

By the time Garp had told her all that, she knew the man was no longer the same as before. He seemed more somber, more serious, as if he were finally understanding the weight of the so-called World Government Justice. And when a few years later the man reappeared with another child and declared that this boy was his rightful grandson, son of _Dragon_ , the most wanted man in the _world_ , Dandan saw that the weight that Garp carried had increased in a proportion that made the woman rethink about the cause of the Vice Admiral's death.

Garp would not die for his foolishness and utopian justice, he would die devastated by the darkness of the world, being used as a puppet by men who called themselves _gods_. He would die with the blood of two _innocents_ in his hands. Because, no matter how, one day Luffy and Ace would actually become pirates, they wouldn't be hunted and hated by their actions, but by the _blood_ that flowed through the veins of the two boys.

Dandan prayed every night so that it would never happen, that if they were to die, that they would be at sea, free and happy.

"DANDAN! ANSWER! "Ace cried out, tired of the silence of the woman who seemed lost in thought. The bandit leader finally seemed to wake up from his trance with that cry, realizing that he had been silent for several minutes. Dandan made a noise as if clearing his throat, and turned his attention to the three impatient children in front of her.

"Sabo, you said marines caught you, didn't you?" Sabo nodded, confirming Dandan's question. "If so, then why do you think Garp, _a Navy Vice Admiral_ , should come and save you, when your own men are here _helping_ this Tenryuubito catch these people?" Sabo was silent, not knowing how to answer Dandan's question, perhaps the woman hadn't even expected an answer, knowing that what she was talking about were undeniable facts.

"You mean Gramps was the one who sent those people?" Ace asked, trying to reconcile the image of their grandfather who always seemed to love giving them Spartan training and laughing at his own jokes with a man who authorizes his subordinates to arrest and sell people as slaves.

Luffy whined, not wanting to believe that his grandfather was a bad man. As much as the boy had spent his life suffering from man's insane training, he was still his grandfather telling him stories about great fights against great pirates like Gold Roger, who always bought him candy on his birthday and carried him on his back when the younger one was tired of all the training he had undergone.

"I don't think he sent those people." Dandan never missed a cigarette as much as she did now. "Garp is _not_ that kind of man, he doesn't accept _or_ support slavery, but he works for the _Navy_. And the Navy _works_ for the World Government that _protects_ the Tenryuubito; which allows these nobles to practice slavery. "

Sabo closed his eyes, reflecting on everything he had just heard, he knew he couldn't dispute everything the leader of the bad guys had said. She was right, there was no way Garp could come and save them if, in setting the whole puzzle, he was nothing more than a mere subordinate in front of the World Government.

They had no salvation and that was what hurt the most. Sabo knew that Luffy and, to some extent, Ace had always counted on Garp to help them in situations that they themselves could see no way out, and now all that hope and confidence had been extinguished by Dandan's mere statement of fact.

"So..." Sabo started to speak and Luffy looked at him. The blond didn't look away from his brother, he knew that the next words that would come from his lips would break the younger one and Luffy also seemed to know that, because his eyes once again watered. "We have no escape. _We are stuck_."

No one spoke for several minutes. Ace had his jaw and his fists clenched, as if he was trying to contain all his anger at those mere actions. Luffy seemed to want to cry as loudly as he could, but he simply took his hat and pulled it until the accessory was covering most of the face. It was still possible to see the tremor in his body caused by crying, but Luffy seemed to be trying to contain his own pain in the silence of his tears.

Sabo didn't know how to comfort either of them, he also had no energy for something he knew was a lost cause. The blonde was content to simply hold Luffy's hand and squeeze it in a comfort mode, while keeping all his attention on Ace's somber gaze.

In the background, a door could be heard being opened and small objects being thrown over the floor, their contact with the cement causing a gas to be expelled, covering the whole room full of cells. Little by little each person in prison lost consciousness, unaware that the next time they awoke they were officially being sold off as slaves.

* * *

 **Yay! Luffy finally woke up and now all three know what they're up to, so I should warn you that the next few chapters will be the ones where all the warnings I put in the Notes are about to happen!**

 **This chapter came out bigger than planned, it was to have at least 3k of words, but it seems like I overdid it, but since it's for you to see it as the end of an "Arc" then I don't see, exactly, as a bad thing. All the changes I've made to canonical history have already been explained and all the boys' chances of escaping have already been crushed (insert evil laugh here), so now all that remains is to present to you the life of the ASL brothers as slaves!**

 **I'm a little anxious for this, since they are heavy scenes and will be difficult to write and read! With this I have to warn you that in the next few chapters there will be several trigger warnings, so for those who are uncomfortable reading heavy scenes, please, I hope they don't read. As much as I don't diminish my descriptions of the scenes, I don't want to cause any physical or psychological harm, so whenever there is a trigger scene I'll let you know in the opening notes, please read them carefully!**

 **Besides, I have to say that I purposely skipped the explanation Luffy received, mainly because it would simply be a repetition of everything that was reported in the first chapter. It would be a long and boring read.**

 **I have to say that I really exaggerated the length of this chapter, especially if I showed his original draft! I think the chapter went on long, mainly because I added last-minute the part where Dandan reflects on Garp's vision of Justice! I got excited about Nala's review and wanted to include my own thoughts in the chapter! I will try not to do much of this to not hinder the unfolding of the story, but I hope you have enjoyed that part!**

 **\- xoxo :)**


	4. Chapter 4

**Hello! Welcome to another chapter, before we go to him, I'm going to ask for a favor, have patience with the plot! This chapter will not have great shocking scenes, but it's important to the plot! I'm sure some of you should be eager to know what's going to happen to the ASL, and also how the Whitebeard Pirates get involved in all this, but please be patient!**

 **Now, I will respond to some reviews~**

 **Jordansdevil: Luffy really is always impressed when people can actually hit him and cause pain! It's always kind of fun to see your reaction haha, so yes, it must have been a big shock.**

 **Nala1220: _OOOH YES!_ The biggest shock in all the fanfic is sure to find out how your gramps is just more of a marionette than the Hero he always seemed to be. I wanted to make that very clear when I wrote this part of the chapter. Garp, no matter how strong, in front of things like politics and bureaucracy, is nothing but a sewer rat trying to survive. He has no influence over the World Government, perhaps he receives a little respect from the Gorosei for having fought Roger and having "captured" him, but that respect would surely disintegrate if they discovered that he is a GRANDFATHER of two children, vision of the world, are considered sins.**

 **On the "rescue" of the boys arise early... well, I think you'll find out with this and the next chapters hfjshksjjs.**

 **rionrion: Oh, thank you so much! I'm quite complex with my English, so even if I can read fluently, I'm not very good at writing, I'm sorry for the mistakes, even if you give them a chance to ignore them, I plan to change that soon enough when I get a beta (which is proving to be a challenge).**

 **Haha, yeah the distressing scenes are just around the corner at this fanfic time, and I'm really excited to write them down! AH the adorable scenes of comfort and fluffy are to melt the heart, just to think of them already sigh of pleasure! I already have some in mind and I'm already creating their sketches to add at the right time! I'm sure you will like it!**

 **Oh well I think that's all, please enjoy the chapter! :D**

* * *

The next time Luffy wakes up he finds himself inside a cage that seems to be made for large animals (like a lion or tiger) and, to the great relief of the boy, his brothers are with him, still unconscious.

Luffy doesn't remember well when he fell asleep and not how he had been transported to a cage smaller than the one that was previously, but at that moment he cares little about this detail. His concern was directed at his sleeping brothers and Dandan's notorious lack. His only consolation, at that moment, was that his old, precious straw hat was still on his head.

The seven-year-old boy didn't want to wake his siblings, even though he was scared, the two looked like they needed a break and Luffy knew how difficult it was for Ace to fall asleep. The brunette with freckles always had difficulty falling asleep, but sometimes he would fall asleep in the middle of the day, often while they were eating, so it was always funny, but Sabo explained to him once because of these "nap attacks" that Ace didn't sleep well at night.

Luffy would rather have his brother asleep, even if it meant being alone in the dark. Well, he wasn't really alone, he had Sabo and Ace there with him, but still Luffy couldn't help but feel frightened by all that.

Sabo had explained what had happened, he told Luffy about being arrested by marines and about how Dogra and Magra, the two bandits who were always dressing in Luffy, were dead. _Oh_ , and that he was bulletproof, even though that fact didn't make him so happy to hear of the death of Dandan's two friends. Luffy didn't like mountain bandits, that was a fact that would never change, but the boy couldn't deny that he liked Dogra and Magra, and sometimes Dandan.

Dogra was the one who always tried to teach him and Ace how to read, write and count. The lessons were boring, and Luffy rarely listened, especially since he knew the little man was only doing it for a request from Garp, and Luffy didn't like it when his gramps tried to send him, even indirectly.

Magra had been a tall man who always had a frown on concern and gentle hands when he took care of his wounds whenever the boy came back injured from his pursuits in an attempt to befriend Ace. The man had a strange hairstyle, but unlike Dandan he was always gentle with him, his concern having become genuine and not just forged as was the case of Dogra who was very afraid of Vice Admiral.

The boy with the straw hat shook his head, trying to dispel those dark thoughts. Whenever he was alone and silent, thoughts like that tended to invade his mind, wanting to break his will, but Luffy always resisted. He'd learned last time, with Shanks, that it was no use just sitting there lamenting for the losses, if Luffy wanted to be strong and protect his _precious people_ , then he needed to focus on that and not let himself be shaken. He still had an important promise to fulfill, after all.

Luffy smiled, pulling his hat down, was one of his quirks whenever he remembered Shanks and the wise words of the pirate who a year ago completely changed the life of the rubber boy. Unfortunately his animation didn't last long, for soon a wooden door was opened and heavy footsteps were heard, demonstrating that he was no longer alone and safe.

The rubber boy watched as a fat, rotten-faced man walked all the way down the small corridor where there were other cages like his and they were full of people, some so full that it was impossible to move without hitting someone. The fat man carried some papers and always seemed to jot down something when he examined the locked people.

At his side, Luffy heard a small moan and turned, seeing that Sabo seemed to be waking up.

"Sabo?" Luffy called softly, not wanting to catch the attention of the fat man who was still walking between the cages, Luffy felt that this man was not a nice person and didn't want, by some inconsequent action of his, to end up hurting themselves.

Ace would surely hit him if he knew Luffy was somehow worried and underestimating his big brother. But Ace was still not awake and after all the nightmare with Bluejam, the seven-year-old boy would no longer underestimate his instinct.

"Lu?" Sabo seemed to regain consciousness, but the boy made no move to stand up. The blonde was tired and his ribs still ached with minimal movement. So, instead of forcing himself to stand up, Sabo turned his head, meeting Ace's sleeping face. That was enough to calm him, his two brothers were there with him, it was more than he expected in the circumstances.

"Sabo, there's a strange man here..." Luffy approached his brother, trying to keep his voice as low as possible. The blonde seemed to understand the younger one, as he grabbed Luffy's hand and pulled it, indicating that the boy should lie between him and Ace. Luffy moved, lying on his side, so that he could talk face to face with Sabo without drawing much attention to himself.

"You're waking up for how long?" Sabo asked, wrapping one of his arms around Luffy's waist and pulling Ace, who was still unconscious, closer to the two. It was Sabo's intention to hide Luffy as best he could, so that the man would not notice that his brother possessed sea stone cuffs. Of course this was a shot in the dark, this man might well have known that one of his wares was a user of a fruit of the devil, but there was also the possibility of not even knowing, anyway, Sabo was not to take a risk but to prevent himself.

"I woke up a few minutes ago, but I don't know where we are, but there are a lot of people trapped besides us, some are from the Gray Terminal, but others I do not recognize." Luffy replied, trying to pass on all the information he knew. He had learned from Sabo that if he could concentrate enough, he could remember things that at other times might go unnoticed to him.

Luffy only used to wear this when he was trying to win one of his fights with his brothers or when the three of them were hunting and he would not even have realized this ability were it not for Sabo. For Luffy it was a simple instinct that came naturally after all of his grandfather's Spartan training when the man threw him into the jungle or into a monkey wheel to fight. Luffy _hated_ fighting with monkeys.

"That can only mean one thing," Sabo said, closing his eyes as he tried to gather all his theories that had already formed upon waking. "We're on a ship."

"EH?!" Sabo quickly covered Luffy's mouth, preventing him from screaming even louder. The blonde actually snarled at the raven's raucous behavior. It was no time or place for Luffy to get them in trouble, they were already in their midst, and every second they had was valuable so they could find a way to escape or avoid further abuse.

"Shh! You can't go screaming like that, Luffy!" Sabo scolded him, looking directly into the younger wide eyes. "Try to be quiet, okay? Ace needs sleep." The blond added his speech, knowing that Luffy would only hear him when he mentioned the sleeping state of his older brother. Luffy seemed to understand what Sabo meant and nodded in agreement, the blonde seeing that he had managed to keep Luffy quiet for a few minutes, he withdrew his hand from his mouth, returning to his previous position by hugging both Luffy and Ace with his arm.

"Why did you say we were on a ship?" Luffy asked in a whisper, hoping Sabo wouldn't complain about being loud again. He didn't want to wake Ace and not even get a sermon from the blond.

"You didn't notice? We're swinging, and you can smell the sea breeze. We're on a ship." With that, Luffy finally seemed to realize that the floor was actually swaying slightly, plus the smell of the sea was stronger than he was accustomed to when he went to the cliff to watch the sea with the two brothers. The scent of salt reminded him of his happiest days in Foosha Village.

"So...where are we going?"

With that question Sabo kept silent, not knowing the answer. The blonde also wanted to know where they were going, mainly because they knew that if they were going to be sold then they should surely be going to Sabaody, where the sale of slaves was legalized, but Sabo knew they would have to cross at least half of the Grand Line to get to the venue and should take months, which meant they could make some stops along the way.

If Sabo's reasoning was correct then he would need both of his brothers awake so they could create an escape plan. Preferably, one that gave to escape already in the first stop that the ship did.

* * *

At some point the two brothers fell asleep. Luffy being the first, completely forgetting the presence of the old man, the seven-year-old was warm and secure around the presence of his brothers, which made him permanently tired (caused by the seastone) to leave him in a dormant state. Sabo, however, remained awake watching the man as he approached the cell where he was. The blonde tried to move subtly to hide the cuffs from the stranger's eyes, but his attempt was in vain, when the adult spoke.

"So this is the kid with a devil fruit, great, it's going to be a great deal this time." The man didn't seem to notice the presence of Sabo and Ace, very focused on the sight of the sea stone cuffs around the ankles of Luffy.

Sabo felt like an animal, a guttural sound leaving his throat like a growl. Luffy was not a business, he was his small, noisy little brother who loved running through the forest of Goa looking for adventure. Unfortunately, the fat man with the rotten breath didn't seem to agree with the blonde, in fact he didn't seem at all frightened by the blonde's attempts to sound intimidating.

But that didn't bother Sabo, he was angry, but his mind was clear and he knew the man was not afraid of the blond because he thought he was safe, being bigger than Sabo and being the one who had the power to keep the blonde inside that cage. And the blond knew that that underestimation would be the fall of that man. Both Sabo and his brothers had already faced stronger people and won. Porchemy, one of Bluejam's subordinates, was one of these people. The man in front of him might be bigger than him and look stronger, but Sabo was faster and certainly knew how to defend better than anyone.

He only hoped that the others who were on that ship were also like that man or that, at least, they were few. It was a fact that even the person being strong, the numbers were always a safe bet in a battle. In a fight, mainly of life or death, if one side were in smaller numbers, it was already a factor for the defeat.

Per hour, Sabo would watch and try to prevent any future attempt to separate him and his brothers. When Ace woke up they could craft a plan to escape or, at worst, cause a riot and give Luffy a chance to escape. After all, they were not the older brothers for nothing, their priority would always be the safety of the straw hat boy. The blonde was interrupted from his dark thoughts with the arrival of another man, who was thinner, with deep pits in place of the cheeks, and a glazed and strangely euphoric look. Sabo didn't need to think too much, knowing the man was just another opium addict.

"Breno, what are you doing down here? You were smoking again, you fucking junkie?" The thin man seemed to frown, as if he didn't like how he was treated, but he was so accustomed that at some point he gave up trying to defend himself against the accusations and curses of his companion.

"The boss is calling you, Cain. He said you were taking too long." The fat, fetid man, now identified as Cain, snorted, finding the situation irritating. Cain was a man hungry for power, and he always resented not having become the boss of that Freighter. The man alone didn't cause a riot because he knew that he would not have support from any of his companions.

"Say I'm coming, I was just checking our gold merchandise. The _boss_ certainly doesn't want anything to happen with our chance to get rich, doesn't he?" Cain's pure sarcasm in referring to his boss caught Sabo's attention. If Cain meant his commander, it meant that Sabo could use those negative feelings and perhaps manipulate the man to cause a riot that would serve as a distraction for the three brothers to flee.

"Of course not, so we'll stop at Loguetown to sell this kid." Breno said in a rather bored voice, as if he were talking about time. Cain's reaction was shock and Sabo came to mirror his reaction, but for different reasons. Sabo knew full well where Loguetown was, not only that, he knew of the history surrounding the city. After all, after learning of Ace's great secret that he was the son of the Pirate King, Sabo gave himself the permission to investigate more about the man who was known to conquer the seas.

Loguetown was the first thing the blonde found related to Gold Roger, after all that was not only the man's hometown but also the place of his _execution_. Sabo felt a shiver of fear overwhelm him, and Ace couldn't in any way know that they were going to that city. This would only make his brother even more unstable and could end up with Ace hurt, or worse, _dead_.

Sabo never hated so much that the Ace was so hot-headed.

* * *

Ace woke up startled. Something had collided with the side of the cage, causing a loud bang that woke the boy with freckles abruptly, dropping it over Luffy who at one point had held Ace by the waist. With all the noise, soon the domino effect was complete and the three brothers had woken up, with Luffy complaining about how heavy Ace was and Sabo trying to go back to sleep, not really recognizing that the other two were in a tangle of limbs because of the failed attempts to get up.

"Hey! Sabo, help here!" Ace spoke, trying to unscrew himself from Luffy's arms that had shifted, and now they were around Ace's neck, as well as his legs that had intertwined with his brother's. Luffy still seemed very sleepy to be able to coordinate his limbs so that he let go of the eldest.

Sabo finally seemed to notice the position his brothers were in and, by virtue of his habit, he burst out laughing, finding the whole situation hilarious. The blond was about to make a comment that would surely irritate Ace and embarrass him, but before he could open his mouth a door opened and from there Cain appeared, looking incredibly irritated.

"What's all this damn noise? Who said you should talk?!" Cain approached the cage where the brothers were, recognizing that they were the reason for the noise, since almost all the others were still asleep. Ace twisted his face in a grimace of disgust as Cain bowed in an attempt to intimidate the three children. The man stank of rum and vomit as well as sweat. Luffy also seemed to mind the smell, for he grimaced in disgust as he tried to distance himself from Cain's bad smell.

Sabo did not react, hoping the man would leave them alone, he didn't want to catch Cain's attention anytime soon, the blond still hoped he could form a plan to escape and Cain and his hunger for power could be the key to it. But for that, Sabo knew better than to draw the disgusting man's attention to himself, at least not in a negative way.

Well, from the look on Cain's face, it was too late to try to use the man as bait for his escape plan. Damn, it seemed Sabo was always surrounded by easily irritated people. That was at least frustrating, but the blond couldn't exactly blame the brothers for getting the man's attention, Sabo did not even know how Cain was managing to move properly, only the scent of rum around him made anyone intoxicated.

Cain seemed to convince himself that the boys were frightened of him and laughed, throwing his body back, enjoying the sense of superiority it brought him by being intimidating to the people around him. Ace thought that ridiculous, they were kids, what was the pride in being scary to children? But he chose not to say anything, from the look that Sabo was giving him, Ace knew he should not irritate the man, especially if it ended up separating the brothers.

"Well, it looks like you brats already got the message. Don't make any noise and I will not make any of you suffer. Those are the rules, understand?" Cain looked at them again, this time waiting for the boys to respond. Sabo decided it was better to intervene, however much Ace agreed to not argue with the man, Luffy was another story and the blond knew how the boy could be more hothead than Ace sometimes.

"Yes, sir." Sabo answered all three, trying his best to make himself look submissive and fearful. Apparently this was how normal ten-year-olds were supposed to act before bad adults like Cain. And well, neither Sabo or Ace and Luffy were exactly normal, to them Cain was just like any other Gray Terminal bandit. But in that situation, Sabo knew he had to keep an act of submission so he would not get the unwanted attention that could thwart his escape plans.

Ace and Luffy did not praise Sabo as the most intelligent of the brothers for nothing. Surviving in the Gray Terminal for more than five years, in addition to receiving a privileged education had made Sabo someone prepared to survive anything.

He just hoped that was enough to keep the three alive and _together_.

* * *

 **Sooooo, I'm sure some of you are confused that I created a slave auction in Loguetown, but since this is a fanfiction I took some liberties with Oda's holes in the plot (purposeful, maybe). I don't remember the exact words, but during the bow of Sabodya (or Sabaodya, 'don't care) Oda explained that the slave auctions were LEGALIZED only in the territory of the Archipelago (because of the Tenryuubito narcissism, truth -q), though he never said practice did not exist elsewhere. So yes, I used this little loophole to use in the storyline of my fic.**

 **Hmm, I do not know when Ace started with the "sleep out of nothing" attacks, which I'm sure are narcolepsy attacks, so I thought I'd put it like he had them since he was a kid. As far as I know the causes of narcolepsy are not very clear and begin to happen at a very young age, so I took that freedom again.**

 **I have to say that this chapter, even though it did not seem like it, was really fun for me to write! Especially since I had to do specific research on the Age of Piracy to know things as if it was decided the captains and things like that! I used this information here and there during the chapter, but I'm sure it must have gone unnoticed. Anyway, even going unnoticed, I still find it fun to have to research simple things that, watching OP, I should already be familiar with, haha.**

 **Ah, the next chapters will be very interesting, it's where I actually start to show life as a slave to the ASL brothers, actually I was going to show in that chapter, but I decided to cut it because it would be too long and maybe without a concrete end.**

 **Before I finish this, I would like to know something, the ASL brothers are very OOC? As much as I can see that it is inevitable I make them OOC I do not want them to get to the point of being recognized as the characters that Oda created, so please, if I am being very OOC with them, let me know so I can change it! I do not want to make any major changes to their personalities, other than what I'm about to cause over the course of history!**

 **I hope you have enjoyed this chapter! :)**

 **\- xoxo.**


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